Swiss tennis star Roger Federer stated that he will be missing a number of tournaments which include the French Open after he went under the knife for his knee in Switzerland on Wednesday. The former French Open champion struggled a lot with an injury during the recently concluded Australian Open where he lost to the eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion stated that he will be missing the ATP tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Bogota and Miami and also the French Open which is starting at May end. The 38-year-old tennis star will be missing the Grand Slam for the fourth time in the last five years.
"My right knee has been bothering me for a little while. I hoped it would go away, but after an examination and discussion with my team, I decided to have arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland yesterday," Federer said in a statement on Twitter. "After the procedure, the doctors confirmed that it was the right thing to have done and are very confident of a full recovery."
Federer skipped the claycourt season in 2017 and 2018
The Swiss skipped the entire claycourt season in 2017 and 2018 and last year played only two tournaments on the surface before arriving in Paris for the French Open where he lost to Rafa Nadal in the semi-finals. His agent told Reuters last week that Federer was planning on playing only at Roland Garros while skipping the Madrid and Rome Masters. The French Open begins on May 24.
While the prospect of Federer being away from the Tour for so long will dismay his vast army of fans, they can be encouraged that his decision to undergo knee surgery for a second time seems designed to extend his career. "I can't wait to be back playing again soon, see you on the grass," Federer added on his Twitter page. Federer has proved in the past that he can return to his peak after an injury layoff.
He had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in 2016 and missed the second half of that season as he struggled to recover. But he returned in style to win the 2017 Australian Open, ending a near five-year Grand Slam title drought. Federer's ranking will drop from its current three but he is still likely to be seeded in the top 10 at Wimbledon where he will be seeking a record-extending ninth title.
